Consequences of Yesterday
by hoshiww
Summary: The sun didn't bring around new beginnings, but the consequences of yesterday, of the days before, and especially of that day. Involves OCs, red, blue, violence, a bomb and a character death at the end.
1. Prologue: Yesterday

**BLEACH**: Consequences of Yesterday

Disclaimers for the story: Bleach is not mine. Later disclaimers in the story, so that I won't spoil the story.  
Claimers: All characters that you haven't seen in Bleach are mine, as is the plot.

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**Prologue: Yesterday...**

"_Kaa-san!" The girl yelled. "Rina-kaa-san!"_

_But 'Rina-kaa-san' wasn't going to go with her. "Hurry, child. They'll be here soon."_

_And when you speak of the devil, he appears. The girl's worst nightmare appeared behind her mother, a man with great authority, flanked on all sides by more Shinigami. His long white hair flowed behind him as the girl stood to unsheathe her Zanpakutou. She was daring to challenge him in order to protect her mother who lay on the ground, exhausted with the effort of keeping the Senkaimon open._

"_Suisaki," The man addressed the woman on the floor, "I never knew you would go to such extremes."_

_The woman just gritted her teeth._

"_It is best if you hand over the recipe, and save you and your daughter much grief—"_

"_That's all you think of them: ingredients for a dish! They have their own lives as well!" The woman called Suisaki Rina spat at the man's feet. "Have you no morale?"_

"_They are as useless as cockroaches to a housewife. Now, the recipe."_

_The woman glared at the man, then slowly sat up. She could not hold the Senkaimon for any longer, but she must not let that unethical man in front of her win this war, and the only way to thwart him was to…_

_She made a grab at the girl standing guard over her, and using her remaining strength, threw her into the Senkaimon, along with the gigai the girl held. She then took out her Zanpakutou, pointed the tip at her stomach, and announced:_

"_I will take the formula with me to my grave!"_

"_RINA-KAA-SAN!" the girl yelled from within the Senkaimon as it slowly closed, stopping anyone else from going through. _

_The girl shot through the air and landed safely in a park. Through the tears in her eyes, she saw that it was sunrise in the Real World. She had heard someone say to her before that the sun always brings a new day, a new beginning. But instead of bringing a bright, new beginning, the girl knew that the sun was a curse. It didn't bring around new beginnings, but the consequences of yesterday. And with this thought, she hugged her gigai and cried as the sun rose, oblivious to the little girl's sadness._

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A/N: This chapter is written in italics because it's a flashback. Enjoy reading this story.

Special mentions:

1. xxx. - .yennii (without the sapces, this thing is dodgy) for beta-ing this chapter even though she isn't into anime and has no idea about Bleach.  
2. machao for helping me with the plotline, for encouraging me and for helping me make up the names for some of my OCs.

I appreciate your work, and I recommend everyone to read their fics.

Stay tuned, the next chapter comes out next week, when I can find the time. And chapters will definitely be longer.

**x. TANgled** (without the space, this thing is not working again).


	2. Chapter 1: Introduction: R 10 136

**BLEACH**: Consequences of Yesterday

NOTE: Read first line of Author's note at the bottom.

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**Chapter One: **Introduction: Hibike Ame and R-10-136

Kurosaki Ichigo delivered the finishing blow and stood up. He had gotten a feeling that he was being watched, but now, when he had the time, he couldn't detect who and where they were. The reiatsu he could feel were all from normal humans, and not someone he should worry about. But even so, the feeling was unnerving and made the hair on his neck rise slightly.

He turned around and brushed it off, thinking it was just his sixth sense overreacting then flash-stepped towards home.

**x.X.x**

Karakura High School was a busy place in the mornings, especially in the classrooms. It was bustling with teachers and absolutely teeming with students. Ichigo registered this dimly, as he sauntered into his homeroom and knocked over a very hyper Keigo, before slipping into his seat. His neck still prickled but he still put it down as his overreacting sixth sense.

"Good morning, class!" the teacher announced happily. "We have one new addition to the class, so be sure to welcome her!"

Everyone's attention turned to the door, which opened up, and revealed a girl. She regarded the class with light, honey-brown eyes and an emotionless expression before she took a step into the room. The immediate thing that caught all the students' attention was the black bow on her blazer where a red one should be. The next thing they found odd was the light colouring of not only her eyes, but also hair and skin. Her hair was a light sandy yellow and tied up with a black ribbon. Her skin was pale, as pale as Ishida was.

"Your name please?" The teacher asked.

"Hibike Ame. Pleased to meet you," She said and the wind blew. She bowed to the class before asking the teacher where should she sit, but was interrupted by Keigo.

"What's with all the black?" He said pointed at the black bow.

"I'm in mourning, if you don't mind," She shot him an stoic look to which he responded with a stuttering apology and leaning back in his chair, as if Ame was a snake, ready to strike anytime. Ame proceeded to the seat pointed out by the teacher and glanced at her neighbour. Ichigo took a fleeting look at the newcomer and their eyes locked.

His neck tingled.

**x.X.x**

"Hibike! Come and join us!" Inoue waved at the girl.

It was lunchtime and a troupe of girls, including Ame, made their way to a grass field and settled under some tall, shady trees. They unpacked their lunch and each showed off elaborately done obento, until they got to Inoue.

"I have a red bean paste sandwich with lettuce and tuna!" she said happily. "And I made some leek and chicken stock soup with green beans!"

Most of the girls pulled a face at the offending food. "How can you eat something like that?" they muttered.

All eyes turned to Ame, who was munching on a sandwich. Looking at their stares, she just said, "Bought it at a convenience store. It's not very tasty."

"Convenience store? Doesn't your mum make an obento?" Tatsuki asked.

"What about Inoue? I'm pretty sure mothers don't make those sort of food," Ame shot back.

"She lives by herself. She cooked those food herself."

Ame fell silent until someone prodded her. "My family passed away three nights ago."

The whole group fell silent. The wind gently passed over the group, as if expressing its condolences to Ame.

"Then where do you stay?" Inoue asked.

"My neighbours have kindly offered a bedroom until I find a permanent lodging."

"Then you can move in with me!" Inoue cried. "We can be like sisters! And I can cook for you, instead of you buying sandwiches!"

The group sweatdropped simultaneously and said they felt sorry for Ame, if she was going to eat Inoue's cooking.

**x.X.x**

Hollow hunting was not Ichigo's favourite pastimes. Especially when his Substitute Shinigami badge kept flashing its eyes when he held it to his face. He mumbled something inaudible as he followed a spirit thread to the Hollow.

He reached the Hollow in a matter of seconds. He was above it, crouching over someone's gutter and looking down, and that gave him an advantage. He gripped Zangetsu and the bandages flew away. Leaping, he brought the sword forward to cut the Hollow, but something was faster.

Like a streak of red, something blasted a hole through the Hollow. To Ichigo, whose eyes were sharp and trained to see someone flash-stepping, he saw a red-clad Shinigami propel his way through the Hollow, purifying it with his Zanpakutou. All Ichigo could do though, was land where the Hollow had been just a few milliseconds earlier.

"Oi, who are you?" He called at the red fellow.

No answer was given, but the red Shinigami turned around, and ran at him with his Zanpakutou held high.

Clash.

"Oi, I'm a Shinigami! There's no need for you to attack me!" Ichigo protested.

Clang.

"Hey! Stop it!" Ichigo's held Zangetsu in front of him, not attacking. Who attacks their own people?

Crash.

"Who are you?" Ichigo asked desperately.

"R-10-136," the other Shinigami said.

Flick.

Ichigo was disarmed. He was caught off guard at the numbers. No, he had never been good with numbers, but numbers as a name? He was thoroughly confused. He looked at the Shinigami, who was standing perhaps two or three metres in front of him, puffing; obviously he used quite a large amount of strength to make Zangetsu fly. Slowly the red-clothed Shinigami raised his Zanpakutou.

The wind suddenly blew.

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**A/N**: I need to mention that Hibike is the girl's last name and Ame is first and that Ame's seat is across from Ichigo's.

Story is now officially Beta-ed by: xxx. -. yennii  
Chapter was Bleach edited (i.e. finding if I have messed something Bleach up, as my official Beta knows nothing about bleach) by: machao

I promise that the chapters will get longer.

**x. TANgled**


	3. Chapter 2: Red and Blue

**Bleach**: Consequences of Yesterday

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**Chapter Two**: Red and Blue

The wind suddenly blew. Ichigo held an arm in front of his face to protect his eyes from the dust that was being lifted by the wind.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Inoue's voice rang out.

"Ichigo!" Chad's voice vibrated off the walls of the houses lined along the street.

"Kurosaki!" Ichigo had also heard Ishida's voice.

The wind subsided, and in front of Ichigo was another Shinigami, a black-clad one, his Zanpakutou skewered the red-clad Shinigami. The black Shinigami pulled his Zanpakutou out and the red Shinigami disintegrated to dust. With a look over his shoulder, the Shinigami jumped and flash-stepped away.

"Wait!" Ichigo yelled, but the Shinigami didn't come back.

"Kurosaki-kun, are you alright?" Inoue hurried to his side. "We felt your reiatsu rise so we came here as quick as we could."

Ichigo nodded in reply. "Did you see? The red Shinigami, I mean."

"Ah," Ishida pushed his glasses up his nose. "He said he was R-10-136, right?"

"Let's go home. Standing here won't do anything," Chad reasoned and they left.

But, as if by some unspoken agreement, they met up outside Urahara Shop the next day. They sat around the small coffee table in silence, awaiting Urahara's response to the situation, which they had just explained. Urahara sat with his head bowed, fanning himself slightly. No one knew what he was thinking, because his hat cast a shadow across his eyes, hiding his expression.

"Is that the case?" Urahara finally asked.

A curt nod came from Ichigo, who had been the only one to interact with the red Shinigami.

"I suggest you just let it play out," Urahara lifted his head. "We don't know much about this red Shinigami. If you say his name really is R-10-136, it sounds like there are more. The number of numbers is, after all, infinite."

**x.X.x**

Hollow hunting definitely was not Ichigo's favourite pastime. Once again he held up the Substitute Shinigami badge to his face. He was checking to see if it was damaged after his stupid father kicked him, sending him down the stairs. It flashed again and he swore he could go blind from the intensity of the light. He mumbled some inaudible curses as he flash-stepped towards a street, tracking via reiatsu.

He reached the end of an alley, the night sky casting it in black, where the bulk of a Hollow blocked off his view. He sensed there was a human, perhaps someone who couldn't see the Hollow, behind it. At once he flew into action. He jumped up higher than the Hollow, whose head turned up towards him. With one, swift movement, Ichigo took Zangetsu from his back and sliced the Hollow in half. He replaced Zangetsu and lifted his head up.

Brown met yellow.

"Eh? What are you doing here?" Ichigo pointed at Ame, still dressed in school uniform even at this hour of the night, then remembered she probably couldn't see him. He was about to turn around when Ame spoke.

"Are you the resident Shinigami?"

Ichigo looked at her queerly. She could see him even though her reiatsu was as low as someone without supernatural abilities. "No, I'm a Substitute Shinigami."

"Oh?" Ame said, irritably. "Why did you kill the Hollow?"

"What do you mean 'why did I kill the Hollow'? It's the job of a Shinigami, Substitute or otherwise, to kill a Hollow, and you're questioning my job? You wanted that monster you eat you or something?"

"Whatever. Just next time, don't rescue me."

"What?" Ichigo yelled and pointed at Ame who was standing there, with her arms crossed and nose in the air. "Are you suicidal? They're gonna eat you if you just stand there!"

"That's the point and not the point," retorted Ame as she walked away from the dead end towards the entrance. As she passed Ichigo on the way out, she whispered, "And watch your reiatsu, it's going to call something unwanted."

"Eh?" Ichigo said as she slipped past him and turned the corner. Ichigo concluded that the girl was going mad from the grief her deceased family have caused, and just wanted to follow them. He also hoped that she would recover, so that he didn't have to watch her back for the Hollows.

And speaking of Hollows, isn't there one above him right now?

"Is this what she means by 'something unwanted'?" Ichigo muttered. "I can take care of Hollows in one blow."

With a low, vibrating cry, the Hollow jumped from the ceiling of a house that lined the alley. Ichigo sighed, gripped Zangetsu and poked a hole in the Hollow's mask after it had landed. He turned around and marched away, still infuriated that Ame had had a go at his job. He was also annoyed at his sixth sense. His neck itched from always tingling.

And his neck had a good reason to be, as a pair of soulless eyes followed his movements.

**x.X.x**

Rukongai was a place where only the hardiest could survive. With few clothes and few resources, everyone just barely made it through the day. The residents resented the Shinigami for their easy lifestyle, where they had all the necessities and more luxuries, yet they had to be grateful, for they were the ones who protected them and balanced the world of souls. But Shinigami didn't have it easy either. Their whole lives are spent watching the Real World and purifying the Hollows, and with each day they spend in the Real World, their lives are in danger, if a Hollow more powerful than them appears. All in all, Soul Society was a place whose inhabitants could lose their life in any given moment, however the chances were low.

But their world was going to plunge into darkness.

"Are you a Shinigami?" A little boy asked as he watched the man in front of him approach. "I've heard many tales about Shinigami, but I've never heard about a Shinigami who dressed in blue."

The man was tall with white hair, pale skin and clothed with a blue version of the Shinigami Shihakushou. He made no response to the little boy's question, but instead treaded at a measured pace, each step the same length. His eyes were a light grey and were depthless, as if he was in some sort of trance or was hypnotised. The soulless eyes were fixed on a point behind the boy, looking through him rather than at him. Nevertheless, the boy didn't seem put off.

"Many people in my district says that I can become a Shinigami one day because I have more reiatsu than two normal people my age put together," the boy smiled happily. "In fact, I want to become a Captain!"

The man had reached the point where the little boy was sitting in the forest. He looked down at the little boy then scooped him up into his arms.

"Wahh!" the little boy cried as he was hoisted over the man's shoulder. "What are you doing? You're not a Shinigami! Shinigami don't do this, so who are you?"

"B-08-157," the man said, though whether in answer to the question or something else, the little boy didn't have enough time to figure it out as the man put a hand over his mouth and made him swallow something. His head swirled as the drug took instant effect and knocked him out.

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**A/N**: Yay, the chapters are getting longer!

Thank you to FreakingAgro for reviewing. First person to review for this fic!

Next chapter should be out next week. Stay tuned for more.

**X. TANgled**


	4. Chapter 3: Seireitei Moves! Ichi Attacke

**Bleach**: Consequences of Yesterday

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**Chapter Three**: Seireitei makes a move! Ichigo attacked!

A little portal opened up at the local Karakura Park. Through it, one could see a blanket of green and brown as the backdrop and, in the middle of what was clearly a very small glade in a forest, stood three people, all of whom where clad in a red hakama, a red kosode and carried a sword. They stepped out into the park and immediately flash-stepped away, heading in different directions. One of the red people met up with another who had stayed in Karakura Town longer. The portal closed slowly as the sun rose.

It was another day, another consequence of yesterday.

**x.X.x**

The teacher was very excited. There was only a fifty percent chance that you'll get an even number of students in a class, and just when it seemed that she'd be stuck with an odd number, the new girl suddenly appears. Now she could play a little 'game'.

"Now, now everyone," the P.E. teacher clapped her hands to catch the class's attention. "We'll be playing a game that will require cooperation, sense of direction, ability to make decisions and last but not least, make a fool of yourselves!"

"Did she just say 'make a fool of yourselves'?" Ichigo asked nobody in particular.

Ishida turned away from the teacher and pushed his glasses up his nose, "I think she just did."

"Okay, class!" The teacher once again clapped her hands at the buzzing class in front of her then held up a hat. "In this hat I have thirty sheets of paper, each of which has a hiragana character on it. I want you to line up, pick a piece of paper and find the person with the same character as yours."

A few minutes later, Ichigo's eye twitched, badly. His left arm and left leg where tied up with another person's right arm and right leg, respectively. A game was meant to be 'an activity engaged in for amusement', yet this 'game', as the teacher called it, was not at all amusing. Especially if he had to do what the teacher said he had to do tied up to this person, who told him not to rescue her.

"Asano, repeat my instructions so that everyone is clear," the teacher said with an Ichimaru grin on her face.

"Yes, ma'am," Keigo replied, and then went on hesitantly, lest he forgot something and was ordered a week's worth of detention. "You said that we are to work with our partners, who are the person we are tied up with, and go on a treasure hunt. You will give us some clues and we are to work them out, then head off into the direction, or the place the clue says we have to go and receive our next clue and so on until we reach our final destination and the winners get a prize."

"But, sensei, you didn't tell us what the prize is!"

The teacher just shrugged and said that the first clue is in the sports shed before heading into the main building, no doubt to gain an advantage point as she watch the groups quarrel and run back and forth. She chuckled as the first of the groups headed off.

"Watch it!" Ichigo said as he was pulled down, backwards, with his partner who had fallen.

"I said that I was going to step with my right leg!" Ame retorted as she shoved Ichigo's arm and half his body off her. "But you just had to not move your leg, didn't you?"

"Who says what they're going to do after they do it?" Ichigo grumbled as he used the fence that fenced off the basketball courts to haul him and Ame back on to their feet.

"Okay, let's try again."

"Right leg!"

Plop.

The above command resulted in Ichigo moving his right leg and stepping forwards, and Ame also moving her right leg, which was tied to Ichigo's left leg, which wasn't moving, so she had to balance herself. But there was nothing to use to balance herself so she fell on the ground face first, with Ichigo following. Once again Ichigo dragged both of them up using the fence.

"Let me rephrase," Ichigo forced the words through his clenched teeth, "my right leg, and your left leg."

By the time they had reached the sports shed, all of the others had reached their third clue, save for Tatsuki-Chizuru pair, who were still bickering behind Ichigo and Ame, and Ishida-Inoue pair who were probably on their sixth clue.

As Ichigo and Ame entered the sports shed, they groaned very, very loudly. Inside, it was a mess where all the other pairs have gone on a rampage to find the clue, and they had to pick their way carefully across the equipment-scattered, tornado-torn room to the far wall where a bright yellow envelope was hanging.

The teacher giggled slightly as she watched the pairs run back and forth, and tripping over each other.

**x.X.x**

"I will formally start this Captains meeting," Yamamoto's voice carried across the vast hall. All the Captains were present and there was a matter at hand he needed to discuss.

"As of lately, there have been a steep rise in the numbers of missing persons in Rukongai, and sightings in the Kusajishi Forest of Shinigami who wear a blue version of our Shihakushou.

"Your squads should be warned as these 'Blue Shinigami' supposedly attack anyone on sight.

"I want to ask 10th Squad to investigate these reports."

"Yes, sir," Hitsugaya replied.

"Man, you get all the fun," Kenpachi said.

Hitsugaya just glanced at Kenpachi before listening to Yamamoto's instructions. 10th squad was ordered to dispatch ten Shinigami to collect data on how many Blue Shinigami there are, where their base was, and their reason behind the kidnapping of souls.

**x.X.x**

As a response to the incident of the Red Shinigami, Urahara had drawn up a plan with at least one person on patrol and tonight was Ichigo's night. His eyebrow twitched as he stood on top of a telegraph pole. Nothing had happened in the hour he had stood there looking like some statue-ornament. Not even Hollows who were attracted to his reiatsu had stirred. This was going to be one hell of a night. As the last lights were turned off, Ichigo relied on the heavens to light up the streets, though he could've easily detected anything with reiatsu. He sighed exasperated as he sat down on the wood and swung his legs around idly then reached up to rub his neck.

Something moved at the edge of his awareness, a small tug of reiatsu. He brushed it off and continued to watch over the sleeping town. Another reiatsu joined at the edge of his awareness, and another. He stood up and stretched, thinking he had better check on whatever activity the people are doing.

He was only halfway to the scene when the reiatsu moved. They were practically flying from the speed they were going and before Ichigo realised, something red crashed into him, making him stop flash stepping and stumble. When he looked up, four Red Shinigami surrounded him. Giving him no time to react to their presence, the Red Shinigami started to attack, their white hair flowing backwards, their distant, light-grey eyes, were fixed on a point behind him, sometimes they weren't even looking at where they were striking.

Ichigo shouted at them to stop, that he was a fellow Shinigami, but to no avail. They attacked as ruthlessly as ever, even plunging their Zanpakutou into the wall of a warehouse where he had been only a few seconds before. It was easy to dodge their attacks and they didn't seem to have achieved Shikai yet, so Ichigo was safe, but they were annoyingly persistent as they waved their swords around, trying to cut him down.

Suddenly the wind blew, and the next time Ichigo turned his head around to check on the progress of the four Shinigami chasing after him, he found that there was only three and he couldn't detect the fourth. Turning his head back to look at where he was running, he narrowly missed a telegraph pole, swerving to the side. He dimly recognised that telegraph pole was the one he had stood on only a few minutes earlier. He decided to run around the block a few times, just for fun, and to see whether he could catch the Red Shinigami from behind him.

When he turned the corner, he barely registered a figure in front of him that jumped above him and sliced a Red Shinigami in half. But it seemed the other Red Shinigami were oblivious to his presence as they kept racing after Ichigo. He ran around the block again and returned to where one of the Red Shinigami had fallen. The figure was still there, shrouded in the black of the night. He stood at the edge of a pool of light that a streetlight attached to a telegraph pole was emitting.

"Kill them!" The figure ordered and Ichigo realised that the figure was not a male as he had previously thought.

The figure bought up her hands and fired a Kidou spell at the Red Shinigami, effectively labeling her a Shinigami and distracting a Red Shinigami. Ichigo then became aware of her reiatsu rising sharply and felt it rush towards him. Like flies attracted to food, the remaining two Shinigami sniffed the air then went racing at the girl, the Red Shinigami who had been earlier wounded by its prey seemed oblivious to its injuries.

They rushed towards the girl with their Zanpakutou held up high. Swiftly, the girl disposed of one with a quick kick to the stomach then dodged the other Red Shinigami's attack by jumping onto a roof. A Red Shinigami went after her and they danced a lethal dance on top of the roof. Ichigo silently prayed that the inhabitants of the house wouldn't wake from the ruckus.

Swish.

Ichigo just had enough time to move his head. He spun around to face the Red Shinigami behind him. The Shinigami was bleeding at his shoulder, the blood slowly trickling down from the Kidou wound, and his uniform was smudged with dirt where the girl on the roof had kicked him. He raised his Zanpakutou and charged at Ichigo. Remembering the girl's earlier command, Ichigo grasped Zangetsu and thrust it into the Red Shinigami's stomach before the other's sword could reach him, using Zangetsu's length to his advantage.

The wind blew and Ichigo impulsively raised an arm, and then raised his head to look at the roof. There was only one person there. A Red Shinigami who was disintegrating slowly. There was no sign of the other Shinigami. Ichigo faced the Red Shinigami in font of him, who was gradually turning to dust. Great, now he can be charged with murder.

He sighed as he jumped on top of a telegraph pole to resume his night watch.

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**A/N**: Ahh, fillers. Friend loves them, I hate them. Well, character development in any case. Now you see what Ame's and Ichigo's relationship is.

THANK YOU FREAKINGAGRO FOR REVEIWING.

Next chapter out next week.

**x. TANgled**


	5. Chapter 4: Red Shinigami Attacks!

(underline this) **Bleach**: Consequences of Yesterday

* * *

**Chapter Four**: Red Shinigami Attacks!

Something made a rip in space and time, and through that gate, one could see a blanket of green and brown as the backdrop and, in the middle of what was clearly a very small glade in a forest, stood seven people, all of whom where clad in a red hakama and a red kosode and carried a sword. They stepped out into the local Karakura Park and immediately flash-stepped away, heading in different directions.

Seven Red Shinigami have appeared.

It was another consequence of yesterday and of the days before, especially that day.

**x.X.x**

The thirty students filed into the park where their Geography teacher was, handing out sheets of paper. On these booklets were worksheets, which had to be finished within the period and handed in at the end. The teacher briefly went through the instructions on various exercises and showed them the megaphone siren that would call the students back to their meeting point then let them off.

Ichigo completed the task quickly but didn't hand his papers in, because he didn't want to end up where Ishida was, sitting next to the Geography teacher, engaging in a very awkward conversation because he was the first to fill in the worksheets. So Ichigo hung back, somewhere far, far away from Keigo, who was, hopefully, being entertained by Mizuiro and Chad.

He wandered to the far end of the park, where no one should be, since there were no questions related to this part of the park, and settled under a tree. Ichigo could've relaxed for the rest of the lesson but his Substitute Shinigami badge flashed his eyes at him again. He sighed while he turned into his Shinigami form then flash-stepped towards the Hollow, which was, surprisingly, in the park.

He saw the form of a spidery Hollow and put more effort into his flash-steps. As he neared the site, Ichigo became aware of a presence other than the Hollow. And suddenly, that presence became two, one of which had a very familiar reiatsu. The reiatsu from last night! The girl who had taken down three of the four Red Shinigami chasing after him! Which meant she was a Shinigami who could take down Hollows…

His thoughts were confirmed when the Hollow bellowed out 'Shinigami? You know, they taste great'.

The wind blew and Ichigo was forced to stop at the nearest tree to the Hollow. He had his arm raised to block the dirt that was flying because of the wind. And when it subsided, the wind was replaced by a low roaring that issued from the Hollow's mouth. Ichigo lowered his arms and looked for the Shinigami.

Brown met yellow.

"Eh? What are you doing here?" Ichigo pointed at Ame, who stood there, dressed in Shinigami garb and resting her unsealed Zanpakutou on her shoulder. Her hair was tied up with a white ribbon with grey streaks that matched the ribbon on her Zanpakutou. The said ribbon was tied on the end of the hilt, towards the guard, which was a smooth, polished stone, with two sets of wings, curled around something, carved on to it. The blade was short, only three-quarters of a normal katana and Ame angled that to direct the light into Ichigo's eyes.

"What does it seem like I'm doing?" Ame said when Ichigo flinched. "I'm purifying Hollows."

Ichigo's brow twitched. "Don't say that so casually! If I'm correct the Hollow was about to eat your…body or is it a gigai?"

"Gigai," Ame replied as she picked the said object up. "And lower your reiatsu! You're going to attract unwanted things."

"Like Hollows? I can take care of them easily. They're not as bad as Arrancars."

"No! Not Hollows or Arrancars! I meant—"

A rustling noise was heard and in the trees that surrounded Ichigo and Ame were patches of red among the green. Ame did a quick count and noted there were seven of them. She quickly set down her gigai and held her Zanpakutou at the ready.

"I meant them," she stated quietly.

Ichigo backed up into the centre of the clearing and reached his hand up. His fingertips made contact with Zangetsu.

"No!" Ame shouted, but too late, the Red Shinigami made their move as Ichigo's reiatsu flared up from the contact with his Zanpakutou. They all jumped from the trees and backed Ame up to the centre as well. They all held their Zanpakutou, preparing to slice their two victims in half.

Suddenly Ichigo charged and the Red Shinigami mirrored his moves. Ame was forced to block three consecutive attacks from three different Red Shinigami before she jumped to safety on a branch of a tree. Ichigo managed to harm all four Red Shinigami he was facing with a single swing. But four on one, no matter how poorly the four fought, was hard on the one, especially if they attacked simultaneously from four different directions. He jumped to avoid the attacks and landed on a branch.

With a height advantage, the two black-clad Shinigami resumed the fight, slashing and firing Kidou spells. Ichigo managed to slice one Red Shinigami in half, leaving him with only three opponents. Ame similarly took down one opponent, though it left her open long enough to let her sustain an injury. Her cheek was now stinging where a Red Shinigami had taken a shot at her.

More concerned with her injury and trying to heal it with a Kidou spell, she managed to block an attack just in time, but she was forced all the way to towards the centre of the ring of trees that marked the edge of the battlefield, where Ichigo was parrying blows delivered by his foes. Her back clashed with Ichigo's elbow, sending a jolt of pain, which she ignored in favour of executing a plan she had just formulated.

She sheathed her Zanpakutou and once her guard touched the sheath, she quickly pulled it out again. The wind blew in response to the unsheathing then started to pick up dirt, sticks and fallen leaves, throwing them around and inevitably into everyone's eyes. Everyone there, except for Ame, immediately stopped the fight to raise his or her arms against the onslaught of debris.

Though the wind blew in all directions, Ichigo could still hear Ame quite clearly and made out the words 'Hirogaru, Akikaze' when she yelled. He turned around to yell at her to stop the wind, after figuring out that her Zanpakutou meant 'Autumn Wind' and therefore was responsible for the gale that blew. But before he could even get a word out, Ame had lifted her sword up high into the air then brought it, lightning fast, down to the ground. Along with this motion, the wind subsided before it hit in full force from above, pinning everyone, except Ame, and Ichigo when he realised that he need not copy the Red Shinigami movements and that it was just a reflex reaction to copy someone when he didn't know what was going on. Ame then took her Zanpakutou and swung it horizontally across, and the wind switched directions, blowing the Red Shinigami away from the black-clad figures in the centre.

Hastily, Ame placed her Zanpakutou into its scabbard, turning by itself back into its unsealed state, and reached out to Ichigo. She placed one hand firmly on his arm then closed her eyes in concentration. Ichigo stood still and was acutely aware of her reiatsu rising then reaching over towards him, covering his reiatsu. He peered at Ame's face wondering what she was going to do. Her brows were furrowed very deep in focus and her mouth twitched.

Suddenly Ichigo felt as if he was choking, but he breathed normally. It felt like someone was sitting on his chest, and another person applying pressure to his back. He was slightly light-headed, but was also aware that his senses where becoming more alert. Then the pressure became more urgent, pushing at him from all sides, making him smaller, reducing him…

Ichigo's head shot up when he heard a twig snap. Sometime during his ordeal, he had closed his eyes, trying to fight the feeling, and his breath was ragged. Now that his eyes were open, the force was slightly less. He turned his head to where the sound had come from and waited for the Red Shinigami. His head then spun to the opposite direction where some leaves rustled. The Red Shinigami had come back to finish off what they had started and now stepped into Ichigo's view. The five remaining Red Shinigami turned their depthless, soulless eyes towards the two huddled close to each other. Their faces gave nothing away.

"Tell me when they're gone," Ame's voice suddenly spoke from Ichigo's side. Her eyes where still closed and brows still furrowed. Ichigo suddenly became aware that he was supporting some of her weight as whatever she was doing exacted a toll on her.

The Red Shinigami took one step towards them.

"They're coming closer," Ichigo whispered. He noted that Ame's nose was now wrinkled, her mouth pulled down in a profound frown. Abruptly, Ichigo's head started to reel and his breathing came out in huffs. The feeling of been pushed from all sides returned. His knees felt weak. He wanted to throw up somewhere. But he also felt his senses once again sharpen. He could see individual blades of grass now, where it was just a sea of bright green before. He could hear insects crying and distant birds chirping when before he heard only his breathing. He could smell sweat; he could feel the dead weight of Ame as she leant against him for support. But most of all, he could see, a slight movement in his inner eye, that the Red Shinigami were retreating.

He said this much to Ame, and she opened her eyes and stood weakly, returning her hand to her side. Upon the lost contact with Ame's hand, Ichigo unexpectedly felt better. His head wasn't reeling anymore, neither were his knees weak and the pressure lifted. It felt like a blessing. He could run for miles on end without stopping just because he felt fresh. The only lost thing was the heightened senses.

His attention focused onto Ame, who was trembling a little. She was back in her gigai, in school uniform and leaning against the trunk of a tree. She seemed exhausted and slightly paler than usual, which in Ichigo's world, probably impossible. Ichigo came up to her and asked if she was all right, which got a slow nod from Ame.

"What did you do?" Ichigo asked, siting down at the foot of the tree.

Ame didn't reply for some time as she lowered herself down to sit next to Ichigo. "I suppressed your reiatsu."

They lapsed into silence before Ichigo asked again. "You saved me twice from them, not including this time, so I'm guessing you know something about the Red Shinigami."

"I know them alright," Ame muttered in reply as her cheeks regained some colour, but she was still out of breath from suppressing that much reiatsu. "Hell, I know them."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at the last statement but didn't comment, instead he asked for some tips on how to make sure that the Red Shinigami are not going to go for him. After all, they do kill Hollows, which will let him have more time to finish his homework.

"Well, they're attracted to—"

A siren in the background cut off Ame's sentence as it alerted all the students that they had to assemble with their teacher. Ichigo cursed as he realised he left his body behind somewhere, and elaborated colourfully when he realised he didn't know where his body was. His body was devoid of a soul so he couldn't detect by spirit threads or reiatsu. He made a special note to take Kon with him now. He sighed exasperatedly when he finally found his body lying on the ground in a very awkward position, eyes wide and glazed, almost like the Red Shinigami eyes. He shivered and couldn't want for the weekends to start tomorrow.

* * *

**A/N**: Yup, first time trying to write a fight scene. Any of you have a sense of deja vu?

And yes, won't underline the first line. Ah well, it's not that important.

**Special Mentions  
**FreakingAgro ( Yes, Ichigo loves to twitch! ^__^), GeNoWaFeR (happy?), machao.  
And xxx.-. yennii and machao for beta-ing.

**X. TANgled**


	6. Chapter 5: Information To Be Told

**Bleach**: Consequences of Yesterday

* * *

**Chapter Five**: There's Information To Be Told.

"Reporting," the Shinigami said. He stood just inside the door to his Captain's office with a Hell Butterfly perched on his right shoulder.

"We have found that the Blue Shinigami are numerous. Whenever we cut down one, two takes its place. We haven't found the base yet, though it is likely further in the Rukongai Forests, Kusajishi District."

"The motives of the Blue Shinigami are hard to obtain. We tried questioning them, but they don't answer. The only question they answer to, seemingly, is 'who are you' and they reply something along the lines of B-06-132."

Hitsugaya looked at the Shinigami in front of him. It seemed that investigating these reports were going to be harder than he originally thought. He rubbed his temples and wished that he had called Matsumoto, who was undoubtedly hiding somewhere so that she wouldn't be ordered to do something. He turned to the Shinigami in front of him and thought long and hard about what to do now.

"I suggest you record all circumstances that the Blue Shinigami appear in. All. We can decide what approach we take after that."

"Yes sir!" The reporter bowed and made an act of retreating, only to hear a voice emitting from his right shoulder. He turned and faced the Hell Butterfly.

"Coming in! We are currently surround by Blue Shinigami! What are our orders?"

Hitsugaya closed his eyes. Why couldn't these problems that plague him go away? "How many are there?"

"We can see about twenty, but we can feel a lot more that are deeper into the forest," the reply came with a chocked scream in the background. "They've started attacking!"

"Then counterattack!" Hitsugaya growled.

Screams, grunts and orders being yelled could be heard, but the reporter knew that, given the nature of the Blue Shinigami, the sounds were made by his comrades and bit his lip. There were currently nine people out in the forest, and going by what the person on the other side of line said, they were largely outnumbered. Hitsugaya seemed to notice this as well and snarled.

"Contact Fourth Division and have them prepare necessary equipment and tell them to take a large force of Shinigami from this Division to Rukongai Forest. The main focus of this dispatch is to find your group and force them to pull back. Drag them here if you have to. If I'm correct, the Blue Shinigami will not go anywhere out of the forest."

"Err, sir…" the reporter hesitated for a second, but went on, "I think you should know that the Blue Shinigami have ventured into Rukongai, not just Rukongai Forest. They've abducted some people from the villages."

Hitsugaya groaned discreetly then ordered them to drag the nine Shinigami in the forest all the way to Seireitei.

**x.X.x**

Ichigo knocked on Inoue's door very loudly. It wasn't Inoue he wanted to see but the other occupant of the apartment who took up her offer. He was admitted into the small unit and was greeted by the smell of red bean paste. Inoue poked her head into the kitchen and Ame came out with tea and all three settled at the coffee table. Ame knew what Ichigo wanted to ask but kept her mouth shut tight.

The tea party was silent as it finished; Inoue had long ago given up trying to hold a conversation. When the last person put down their cup, Ame stood up and cleared the table, then dumped the cups and teapot into the sink. When she returned, Inoue was at the door, Ichigo outside talking on the phone. Inoue told her, without Ame having to say a word that they were going to Urahara Shop. Ame raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

The little group arrived at Urahara shop and met up with Chad and Ishida inside. The Manager of the shop beckoned them to a table where the tea was set. A black cat slinked past Ame and she reached down to stroke it. Inoue had told her that the cat's name was Yoruichi, she had addressed it like a human but as Ame looked at the golden eyes of the cat, she saw an intelligence far beyond that of a normal cat and even, perhaps, above an average human. Unnerved, she proceeded to the coffee table and had another round of tea party.

The atmosphere around the table was serious and heavy, though the occupants of the low table sat in very casual manner. Urahara, to Ame, was a mysterious man, one that you could never trust, so she decided to get as much information out of him as she can. But even as she formed this thought, Urahara met her eyes and a shiver passed through her. She couldn't hold his gaze, which seemed to look straight into her and could easily uncover her darkest secrets, so she turned her attention to Ichigo and bored a hole through his eyes, challenging him to breach the topic, which he did.

"Hibike, here, has interesting information to share with us," Ichigo started but never looked anywhere but at Ame's honey-coloured eyes. "It seems to me she knows the Red Shinigami's weaknesses, and would like to disclose her knowledge."

Ame snorted but her stare was unwavering. Formality doesn't go well with Ichigo. "First and foremost, you may want to know what the 'Red Shinigami', as you have so dubbed them, really are. They are not true Shinigami as you believe them to be."

Here she broke off her gaze and looked at everyone sitting around the table intently. No one flinched under her hard look. Her expressionless face gave nothing away as she continued her explanation.

"They are Artificial Souls."

Inoue was the only one to react, letting out a small gasp, the others just sat there, as emotionless and composed as Ame. The silence stretched for a few seconds before Chad posed a question.

"Are they like Kon?"

Ame tilted her head and looked Chad with narrowed eyes as she tried to determine who or what was Kon.

"A Modsoul," Urahara supplied.

Ame looked up at the ceiling. "I suppose you could say that they are relatives of Modsouls," Ame glanced back at the seated people "but they are not condensed into candy. They have bodies and so, are essentially easier to kill then Modsouls, which you have to stab the pill before it could die."

"Also, unlike Modsouls, the 'Red Shinigami' have reiatsu senses in them. They track via reiatsu and does whatever it is programmed to do. In the instances that Kurosaki has found himself in, the 'Red Shinigami' have been programmed to attack those above a certain amount of reiatsu, which, unfortunately, means that Kurosaki falls into that category.

"I seriously think that the reiatsu senses have to be check. They're meant to only kill Hollows," Ame muttered the last two sentences under her breath but already knew the answer to the reiatsu sensor problem. _They_ didn't want to just go for Hollows…

Ame shook her head to clear her thoughts, a minute side-to-side motion, and as she stopped the action, her eyes landed on Yoruichi. The cat cocked its head, gazing at Ame with a penetrating look so fierce that Ame closed her eyes for a brief moment, not meeting the cat's eyes, and turned her head. She could still feel the cat watching her, but ignored it to the best of her abilities.

"Saa, if that is so," Urahara said over the silence that ensued after Ame had finished talking. He was looking at Ame, she knew it, even though the hat threw shadows to cover his eyes, she could feel it drilling into her, trying to find the way to the heart of her knowledge. After all, Urahara is bound to ask questions like 'how do you know this', 'how can you testify your claims', 'why do you know this when Soul Society haven't warned us' and the one she was most afraid to answer: 'who are you'.

"I shall propose a course of reiatsu suppressing lessons!" Urahara jumped up, with a silly, wide grin upon his lips, like some child given the perfect birthday present. "And our teacher shall be none other than the Almighty Goddess of Suppressing Reiatsu: Hibike Ame!"

He fanned himself with enthusiasm, as Ichigo's jaw dropped, Ishida sweatdropped at the childish display and Inoue clapped, exclaiming about how wonderful the idea was. Chad just raised an eyebrow and once again asked a question, a sensible one.

"When and where?"

"My shop's basement, after school. I don't suppose you have any clubs that you have to attend?"

All the occupants at the table, save one, all shook their heads. Then Ichigo, exasperated, jabbed Ame hard, almost ramming her head to the wall behind her. In normal circumstances, she would've snapped. But even the cruel and bruising prod didn't completely gain her attention. Her eyes were still trained at the doorway where the black cat had just disappeared past. The cat had something eerie about it like it and Ame didn't like it.

Ichigo delivered another poke, before actually going to the extremes of drawing back his arm and clenching his fist. He drove it forward, intent on landing it straight at Ame's face.

At the rate she was staring out of space, no amount of cold water was going to be able to stun her into her senses. _No, of course not_, Ichigo thought, her eyes looks like those Red Shinigami's, all out there and definitely won't be noticing his punch, so he rammed it down. Hard.

Perhaps a mere centimetre away from her face, Ame finally notice the assault that was to hit her soon, and from some instinct, her reiatsu flew up so high and concentrated at the contact area. But even this defence could not stop her from being smashed into the wall and out into the corridor on the other side. Immediately, she got up from the wreckage, swearing and cursing, drawing on all the dirty words of the dictionary to threaten Ichigo, inventing some new words along the way that even Shakespeare would be jealous of and twisting innocent words to something totally and utterly horrible.

She glared, all her hatred for anything directed at the one person in front of her who dared to punch an unarmed girl who was merely a bystander. In fact, Ichigo was the one who started the fight; no one can blame her for wanting the sweet, bloody revenge her body craved. Ichigo was just standing there smirking. Inconceivable.

She lunged, her gigai thumping against the floor metres away as Ichigo's body shared the same fate and chanted the words for a Kidou spell, gathering her reiatsu into her outstretched arm. She would've used her Zanpakutou, but all the cups and teapots made of fine china were going to break, so she had to be content with the Destructive Arts.

The spell left her palm and Ichigo swatted it aside with Zangetsu, the unlucky wall that was in the path of the Kidou blowing up, just as Urahara grabbed Ame by the collar, effectively distracting her. She struggled to get rid of the vice-like grip so she could banish Ichigo to the ninth layer of Hell. Ichigo also was having a similar commotion, but this time Tessai held him up so that his feet didn't meet the ground.

"This is worse than when Ichigo and Renji argue," Ishida commented as he dragged a hand in front his face, an action to express his exasperation at just how _embarrassingly childish_ the two were. "At least they fight with words."

"So can you make it to the proposed time?" Urahara asked the girl that still seethed in his hands. He clarified the time when all he got was a grunt of puzzlement.

"Yes. In the mean time, don't try something as stupid as running towards them," Ame directed a look at Ichigo. She forestalled Ichigo's question and quickly continued. "If you do however meet a Red Shinigami"— she threw another meaningful glare at Ichigo— "lead them to a Hollow and while they're occupied with the Hollow presence run away, as far as you can get. I still don't know the radius of their sensors, but it's not far and they have no minds of their own, —just like _someone_ I know— so they only do what they're programmed to do."

"Are you suggesting something?" Ichigo asked as his eyebrow twitched at the last comment.

Before Ame could answer and fuel another fight, Urahara dismissed them while asking them not to get into any sticky situations such as after-school detentions. After the company had left in the capable, but reluctant, hands of Ishida and Chad, Urahara swung around to crouch down to Yoruichi's height.

"I don't know…" Yoruichi trailed off even before she could start, staring at the retreating back of Ame. "She has a strange reiatsu, and there's something not right about her, but I can't place my finger— or rather paw, as it is right now— on it, though I'm sure she's trustworthy."

"Ah," Urahara just nodded and went inside to man the shop. He was very sure that both Jinta and Ururu were slacking off somewhere. Well, Jinta would be, Ururu probably got pulled along.

* * *

**A/N**: This story is dying. That's all I have to say.

Thank you to FreakingAgro again for reveiwing!

**x. TANgled**


	7. Chapter 7: Mayuri's Up To Something!

**BLEACH**: Consequences of Yesterday

* * *

**Chapter six**: Mayuri is up to something!

It was very boring, out here in the forest. The tall trees overhead cast a complex pattern of shadows where the Shinigami had made camp. It was on the very outskirts of the jungle perhaps a kilometre away from the nearest Rukongai Village, within easy reach of even the least adept of Shinigami. There were tents pitched and all the usual whatnots of a large campout. A Shinigami exhaled as he sat on a fat, twisting roots of an enormous tree that almost covered the whole forest ground.

The camp had swelled. Because of the sheer numbers of their enemies, the Commander-General decided to grab a few seated members from various Divisions and dump them here. The less intelligent people who wandered out too far and alone usually came back crawling like some pathetic baby with blood gushing from multiple gashes all over their bodies. The Shinigami that sat on the roots despised those weaklings.

"Come here, Kuryou!" Someone called for the Shinigami. The Shinigami jumped down high roots lithely and walked, hands in pockets, exerting an air of coolness. He reached the tent, pushed back the flap and entered into the small area. Inside were a few of the top ranking people, gathered around a map on top of a table. One of these people beckoned Kuryou over and pointed to the map.

"We've just received some information about a village trip to gather some herbs. Obviously, they've gone without our permission and are in danger from the Blue Shinigami. We just want you to travel there and keep an eye on them."

And so Kuryou did. He gathered a few of his mates and headed off, hands in pockets, flash-stepping away, navigating via the tree branches ahead. He arrived very quickly, but not in time. The Blue Shinigami were already there, executing an almost bloody massacre. The only thing that stopped them from fuelling an outright war was the way they fought, knocking out people then kidnapping them. Kuryou felt their presence all over the villagers and urged his team to go further.

However, as they arrived on the scene, the Blue Shinigami stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to the intruding Shinigami, glazed eyes roving over Kuryou's team, before turning away from the villagers to attack. Instantly, Kuryou shouted a command to retreat, but when they turned around, they were surrounded by a wall of blue. There were more Blue Shinigami than anyone thought possible, a whole army of them, and they had them trapped.

An order ripped from Kuryou's mouth without any conscious consideration and his team came out of their bewildered state to hastily obey. Everyone, blue or black, drew their Zanpakutou and stood at the ready waiting for a more specific order than 'stand by'. Kuryou yelled for his team to start drilling a hole through the wall in a specified direction that would take them back to camp. As everyone leapt into action, Kuryou pulled up alongside a fellow Shinigami.

"What are the circumstances here?" Kuryou said as he parried a blow from a Blue Shinigami.

The fellow Shinigami jumped over a blade while pulling out a paper from inside his Shihakushou. "The circumstances are, I believe, humidity—"

"Don't give me that crap!" Kuryou growled as he stepped on a Blue Shinigami blade and used his foot to flick it away whilst plunging his Zanpakutou into his opponent's chest. "We all know it's got nothing to do with physical elements! What's the reiatsu level here?"

"Above average. There was someone with abnormal measures of reiatsu among the villagers."

"Damn, that may just be it! Has your Captain found anything on these Blue Shinigami?"

"Captain Kurotsuchi couldn't find anything in his database."

Kuryou growled.

**x.X.x**

Everyone was gathered in the secret training grounds of Urahara Shop. They were starting the first phase of the two-part reiatsu suppressing lesson, which consisted of identifying one's own reiatsu and then manipulate it. Ame stood at the front, pacing backwards and forwards, checking if everyone was relaxed and ready to go.

"I'm sure all of you can identify someone else's reiatsu," Ame said. "It should look like blue flames in your inner eye. Now, we will take this one step further. I ask you to try and identify your own reiatsu.

"Best way is to visualise every aura there is in this room, and go from there to try and find your reiatsu."

Seeing the blank faces in front of her, Ame heaved a sigh before continuing. "Have you ever visualised spirit threads before? It's like that, except you're visualising reiatsu."

Ishida nodded and set to work, picking a rock to sit upon, and started with visualising spirit threads. After he had thoroughly practised that and knowing how many reiatsu and what kind of reiatsu he would be visualising, he furrowed his brows and his glasses slid down his nose, but he ignored it as he devoted his attention to visualising reiatsu.

Ichigo soon moved to settle down behind a rock once he remembered what spirit threads were and got down to work, but Inoue and Chad were still a bit lost. With the help of Urahara, Ame quickly explained to them what spirit threads were and how to visualise them. By the time they had understood the concept, Ishida had mastered visualising Ichigo's light blue reiatsu, whereas Ichigo himself could not see anything. And, by the time Chad had managed seeing Ichigo's reiatsu, Ishida had managed to see Urahara's and Inoue had finished doing a round of spirit thread activities, Ichigo still couldn't see a single person's reiatsu.

Frustrated, Ichigo turned to Ame and growled. "How is this supposed to work? I try every bloody method I can, yet I see no one's reiatsu, much less my own and suppress it!"

Ame placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes to glare at Ichigo, though it lost its effect, as Ichigo was the one towering over her and it made her glare appear like a squint. Urahara handed her a device, which she quickly attached her hair, giving her cat ears, then snarled a 'watch' and proceed to relax, closing her eyes to focus. On the screen Urahara was fixing, Ichigo saw the world through Ame's eyes.

The screen was black then flickered on as Ame opened her eyes. She turned to face the group that now gathered in front of the screen. The people saw their backs had a soft glow, then as Ame increased her focus, Ichigo and company drank the sight of their glow grow rapidly until it was a think mist, swirling about their body, Ichigo light blue, Ishida navy, Inoue orange and Chad red. As their fogs got thicker, the screen itself started to change. The colours were being slowly bleached, but it was stained with large blobs of grey where Ame couldn't visualise. As it dawned onto the group that the colour change was due to seeing one's own reiatsu, they gasped. As soon as they realised that fact, Ame closed her eyes and swayed in her spot. This was how she learnt to suppress her reiatsu, but after so long just unconsciously suppressing it without bypassing visualising, it took a lot of effort to even see someone else's reiatsu and more to see her own.

Inspired, Inoue concentrated fiercely. Soon both Inoue and Chad had visualised everyone's reiatsu except their own and Ishida saw the world through a navy stained glass. Happy that a person could actually see their own reiatsu —unlike Ichigo who still couldn't see anyone's reiatsu— Ame got down to work with Ishida.

"Now that you've visualised your reiatsu, can you feel it?" Ame asked eagerly.

"Of course," Ishida said, sounding aloof, a hint of haughtiness coloured his tone. "Ever since I visualised it I could feel it."

Ame nodded. One's reiatsu felt like a cloud and if when you stuck your hand through and pulled it back out, you would feel wetness for a while before the effects of touching a visualised reiatsu (something about the mind being tricked into seeing things and thinking it real) wore off, but in reality your hand was dry.

"ALL RIGHT!"

Ame's head swivelled a near one hundred and eighty degrees, cracking it, as Ichigo's voice pierced through the air. Obviously, he had managed to do something and that something was visualising Urahara's reiatsu. Ame gave him a clap and said a sarcastic congratulation while commenting on how much further Ishida had gotten. She got the pleasure of seeing Ichigo's eye twitch involuntarily.

"What do you mean? You can't compare me to a _computer-machine_," Ichigo hissed.

"I beg your pardon, Kurosaki, but if I'm a 'computer-machine', then you must be a 'sword-fighting-killing-machine'," Ishida retaliated.

"At least I don't shoot arrows which are going to fail at close hand-to-hand combat!"

"I swear upon my Quincy pride that I will kill more enemies than you with my bow, Shinigami."

"And at least he's not as incompetent as you, Kurosaki," Ame said.

"Whose side are you on?" Ichigo snapped at Ame.

Smug, Ame replied. "But isn't it true? Here we have Ishida, ready to start on suppressing reiatsu, Chad and Orihime trying to find their own reiatsu and then we have you, who has _just _visualised Urahara's reiatsu."

Ichigo said nothing as what Ame said was true and stormed away to his rock. His fleeting voice made its way over and everyone could just make out the words 'better than her', 'snotty brat' and 'I'll show them who's the best'. Ame shrugged and was about to turn back to Ishida to explain about suppressing reiatsu but Urahara interjected.

"Time's up for today! It's near evening and dinner should be waiting for you at home so this lesson has ended!"

Ichigo groaned loudly. Obviously he wanted to further his efforts to show off but there was nothing he could do as his stomach grumbled a protest. Grumpily, he stalked off, waving a nonchalant goodbye to Inoue and Chad who had done nothing to get him in this foul mood. Pointedly ignoring Ame and Ishida, he stormed off if any of them came within a metre radius. And like that, he marched home.

**x.X.x**

"So, Nemu, Central 46 has made up their minds that these Blue bastards are kidnapping people with high reiatsu. Who was the boy who proposed the theory? Kuryou! Pity he isn't in Twelfth Division—" Mayuri leant into the screen he was typing at. He squinted at the small text then determined it was the right file before opening it up. "Nemu, read this."

"Of course, Maryuri-sama," Nemu replied stepping to stand behind Mayuri to get a good look at the screen.

Mayuri swivelled around his chair, almost catching Nemu by the leg, and pressed his fingers together. "I want you to go to this place and report back to me. I will tell the other Captains of this."

* * *

**X. TANgled**


End file.
